


forever like This

by Oaklin



Series: Forever Everything [35]
Category: Canadian Professional Wrestling International, Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: (except not really), Bad Friendship, Beef is dumb, Kayfabe Compliant, M/M, Mentions of alcohol, Sami is also kinda dumb, Swearing, and failing misserably, and it goes exactly as well as you would expect, bad money managing, bby!Steen is only mentioned in this one, blink-and-you'll-miss-it mention of AJ Styles, he doesn't actually appear, mentions of Christopher Daniels, mentions of Kevin Steen, obligatory Kevin Steen warning, stupid babies trying to adult, they don't adult well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 21:17:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9566714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oaklin/pseuds/Oaklin
Summary: When in doubt, run back to what you know.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello!
> 
> Slow week was nice. Hope you all are having a moderate amount of success this lovely year (heh) and if not, I hope you find some time to unwind in some way. I recommend kickboxing and video games, but maybe that is just to my own taste, not to anyone elses' :}
> 
> Anywhoo, this is super short, because they refused to move on from that ridiculous ending line and to be honest, I let it stand. Sue me, I think the melodrama is funny as fuck ^.^
> 
> I had a bunch of free time this week. When I wasn't doing boring adult shit I had plenty of time to write, though some of that free time was taken up by Subnautica, because for some fucking reason that game fascinates me deeply. I like the ocean apparently. Regardless, I managed to pull myself away long enough to get this and a few other miscellaneous fics from different time periods in the series down.
> 
> All in all, I feel this was a very productive week! I feel very accomplished :)

Sami smooths a not so reassuring hand through his hair and wracks his brain, fighting down the urge to scream in frustration or cry out in anguish. Beef casts him a forlorn look, although he doesn‘t pause his repetitive pacing in front of the couch.

“This could be going better.” Sami says at last, unable to will up any positivity for the situation at hand, only dredging up despair in his desperate mind.

Beef makes a choked sound that would no doubt be a laugh, if the situation wasn't so dire.

“The fuck won’t pay me! Shit! I’m gonna go beat the cash out of his ass, see how he likes it-”

Sami reaches out, wrapping unsteady fingers around Beef’s arm.

“Wait! That won’t help anything. We need to think our way through this mess, not go gallivanting off and make things worse for ourselves.” Sami relaxes his grip slightly when Beef eases his posture, slouching down and giving Sami a long, sour look. Sami rubs a palm against the back of his clammy neck, taking a steadying breath.

Beef raises an eyebrow at him and gesture expectantly, “Well? What’s your plan then? Since you don’t want to take a pipe wrench to his head, I suppose you have a better idea. I’m all for any other brilliant strategies.”

Sami chews on his bottom lip, glancing around to buy time that he already knows he doesn’t have.

“How much do you have on you?” He asks hopefully, almost wincing at the pleading lilt in his own voice.

-can this actually be any more of a disaster?-

Don’t.

“20 bucks to my name dude.” Beef says with little enthusiasm, shaking off Sami’s restraining hand and crossing his arms across his chest, a scowl on his face. The pose looks more like he is hugging himself than being intimidating, although Sami takes little amusement in that thought.

Well.

-shit-

I just had to open my big mouth.

Sami shifts restlessly, swapping the bulk of his weight from one foot to the other nervously as he scrolls rapidly through option after option in his mind, dismissing most of them outright. Quickly attempting to come up with something to say so that Beef won't go rushing off to get arrested, he braces himself for an argument.

“Well, we need the money fast right? So lets just go down to the pier and-"

Beef snorts long, loud and rude, deep in his throat. Sami stops talk and makes a face, grimacing in disgust at Beef, who just lifts his chin defiantly, eyes glittering with petulant anger.

“Sami for fucks sake, we have three days to get a _grand_ and you want to go fuck off-"

Sami makes an impatient noise, tapping his toes on the chipped tile floor and shaking his head in exasperation.

“No, no! Wrestlefest is tomorrow we can make the money then if we talk G into letting us wrestle some high profile matches."

Beef rears back a bit, squinting at Sami and loosening his arms, letting them fall down by his sides and clenching his fingers restlessly. Sami watches him anxiously, as Beef contemplates his suggestion, Beef's breathing heavy in the tense silence.

“Cutting it a little close, isn't it?" Beef says stiltedly, at last, sounding winded.

Sami relaxes marginally, letting out a breath he had not known he had been holding, feeling a little more stable. He reaches up and pulls at his shirt collar, the damp skin at the base of his neck uncomfortable in the humid room.

“Maybe," Sami concedes, his voice hushed for some reason he can't quite articulate, “But we need to do something. And you going off and getting in trouble with the police for starting a random fight with a fellow colleague won't help anything."

Beef puffs up slightly and Sami braces himself for more arguing.

“The bastard would **deserve** it for stealing my share-”

Sami starts to nod in sympathy, but freezes in place as Beef‘s phrasing kicks in and Sami actually processes what exactly came out of Beef‘s mouth.

“Wait,” Sami says slowly, reaching out, forefinger coming to point accusingly at Beef more out of reflex than anything else, “You said he forgot to pay you. I thought you meant the jackass from the bar last week-”

Beef waves a hand around, a red tinge creeping up his neck as he floats in rivers of anger in his mind, looking off in the distance with malice in his gaze. Sami squints at his friend, who is clearly far too lost in his own irritation to realize what exactly Sami‘s problem is.

“Fuck no. That guy was cool. It was Daniels that-”

Beef seems to realize what exactly he is saying and stops talking, his voice slowly trailing off as the angry red on his face slowly bleeds pale.

“Um.” Beef blurts, looking around shiftily, refusing to meet Sami‘s gaze.

Suspicion wells up in Sami‘s mind and he takes a stab, hoping he‘s wrong.

“Beef did you- how did Chris get a hold of your money?” Sami asks, bewildered and starting to get annoyed.

-why can't anything **ever** be simple?-

Beef glances around, still not making eye contact. “I sorta- I dunno, he‘s just such a swell guy and he offered to pick up our share from Benny and-”

Sami resists the urge to gape openly at Beef, grinding his teeth together to keep his mouth from hanging open is disbelief.

“You **_didn‘t_** -”

Beef does look at him now, hesitant gaze going defensive, his arms lashing out to gesture around the two of them wildly.

“It's not my fucking fault! Daniels _said_ -"

Sami shakes his head, scuffing one sneaker against the ground as he watches Beef flail for words.

“You _know_ never to trust Daniels. **_Never_ ** trust Daniels. He is known for two things around here. The amazing talent is the least subtle one, admittedly, but the whole broken-bird shtick that he does isn't rocket science, Beef. I don't know **why** you agreed to let him pick up **_your_ ** money."

“I didn't have much of a choice." Beef says, so quietly Sami almost misses it. He does hear it though and he perks up a bit, a sneaking suspicion creeping up his back.

“Beef did you-"

“Listen, **some** of us like to have a good time-"

“Oh my fucking _god_! **_Beef_ _!_** " Sami wails, dragging a despairing hand down his face and letting out a long, anguished cry. Frustration makes him bite his tongue for a moment before the anger gets to be too much and he opens his mouth, angry words spilling out.

“You couldn't just forgo the partying for **one** goddamn night, could you? Are you even _serious_ right now? We could have used that cash Beef! I don't know about you, but I **_actually_ ** like to eat every once and a while!"

Beef shuffles back a few steps, the genuine guilt on his face making Sami feel a little bad, though the annoyance and disappointment don't fade.

“It was just one night! And Daniels said he would take care of things! I though we were good!"

Sami clicks his tongue, ire fading slowly, the disappointment lingering.

Maybe living with Beef wasn't the best idea.

-worst roommate ever-

“We've been over this! You know the gossip around here way better than I do! There is _literally_ no way that I know about Chris' reputation and you don't." Sami shoots Beef a dirty look, “You got lazy. Don't pretend."

Beef throws his hands up, huffing loudly, “Okay, so maybe I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt! Did you ever think of that?"

Sami crosses his arms, tilting his chin up and meeting the defiance in Beef's gaze.

“Fine. I'm considering it. Well?"

Beef looks briefly confused, “Well? Well what?"

Sami rolls his eyes skyward, begging the heavens to help him in his plight.

“Were you giving him the benefit of the doubt?" Sami says, as slowly and patiently as he can grind out.

Beef deflates a little, reaching a hand up and rubbing at his neck, not meeting Sami's eyes.

“Not exactly. I told him to go pick up the money, then I sorta fell asleep in the locker room. Went out later that night."

Sami reaches up, pinching the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb, squeezing his eyes against the impending headache.

“Beef-"

“But that doesn't matter now anyway," Beef stumbles over Sami's forlorn lamenting. The painfully forced cheerfulness bubbling in Beef’s voice almost physically hurts to listen to, the sound scrapping over Sami's aching brain,"You, being the sweet, beautiful, loving roommate that you are, have come up with a brilliant plan to get us out of this mess. We don't need Daniels, or that asshole promoter, or that chick that wouldn't buy me a drink last night. They are all jerks."

Beef makes a face, seemingly going off into his own mind briefly, “Especially Daniels, the jerk. Last time I hang out with that douche. I knew he had fucked up priorities, but I didn't think he would spend hours drinking fucking mountain dew at a sweet ass bar, texting that perma-poo faced loser."

Sami unclenches his fingers from his face and looks up, confused. Before he can ask, Beef goes on, completely nonchalantly, like what he had just said made perfect sense.

“Well, I mean, I guess I should be used to that kinda shit. I should have expected it, I suppose." Beef waves a hand at Sami, the gesture clearly meant to demonstrate something that Sami cannot, for the life of him parse out, “I have enough experience with that sort of thing. It should have been obvious from the start."

Sami opens his mouth, so thoroughly baffled now that both his earlier anger and now even the disappointment are gone, in favor of complete mystification. Beef carries on though, like Sami is following every word coming out of his mouth perfectly, looking at Sami and speaking conversationally.

“You know, I bet that is why Daniels and Steen get along so well." Beef says, nodding his head and stroking his chin thoughtfully, looking pleased with himself in a way that suggests he just solved the meaning of life.

Unable to glean anything from that entirely befuddling statement and unwilling to try at this point, Sami puts up a palm, just wanting the bizarre stream of consciousness to end so that they can scrape together enough hard earned cash for rent money before they get tossed out of their tiny apartment.

“Okay. I don’t know what _**any** _ of that means. But whatever. Lets just go and talk to G and see if we can get this whole mess taken care of, alright?” Sami says,his voice coming out less firm and commanding and more pleadingly whiny.

Need to ask Kevin how he nails that brooding authority tone so well.

-no-

Why not?

-just no-

“Sure thing buddy! Though,” Beef says, a thoughtful tone to his voice. Sami pauses, halfway across the room, on his quest to get out the door so they can actually try to do something to get themselves out of this situation, “I don’t know how exactly you plan on talking Gino into anything after Quebec-”

Heat rises to Sami’s cheeks and he looks down and away, the memories of that particularly embarrassing moment of awkwardness springing to mind unbidden.

“Hopefully, he forgot about that. He agreed to let me work Wrestlefest so I don’t see him holding a grudge or anything-”

Beef laughs out loud at that, walking over and clapping Sami forcefully on the back, “Hey now, breath. I don’t think anyone holds any kind of grudge against you for that whole catastrophe. It was far too entertaining to do anything of the sort. But do you really think we have a chance of getting anything resembling a decent spot on the card? Kevin is the biggest thing there and he-”

Beef pauses looking thoughtful. Sami opens his mouth but Beef speaks before Sami can get any words out.

“Kevin doesn’t have an opponent yet.”

**Author's Note:**

> Badly worded cliff hangers this time. The eternal question is are they better or worse than anticlimactic melodramatic ending one-liners?
> 
> The world may never figure out the answer to this question. I'd say find out next time, but I have a bad habit of defying any and all expectations of me just to be contrary. This is neither a good thing or a bad thing necessarily, just a stupid thing ^.^
> 
> Anyway, that was this particular installment of bullshittery. Prepare yourselves for a couple of fics of this incident. They seem to be trying to build up to something. Oh, the over the top dramatics. Also, fair warning, this has little to do with the actual events and storylines going on at the Wrestlefest in question. This is completely fabricated.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and have a good week!


End file.
